20051005 Katrina

[Philip]

Katrina

Viewing scenes of massive destruction can leave you numb. We can't bear to look, but we can't make ourselves turn away.

And so we watch the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Like a child watching a scary movie, we observe the hideous destruction as if one hand were covering our eyes so as to protect ourselves from the reality of it all. We hear the details of one gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking story after another. The mind of the viewer begins to desensitize.

However, one woman being interviewed managed to get my attention in spite of the numbing of my senses. It was only a sound bite -five seconds, at best. She was desperate. She was scared beyond comprehension. And that is when she said the words that grabbed me back from the point of desensitization. "We love you, God," she sobbed, "but where you at?"

And with those eight words, she got my attention. She pulled me back from the point of being removed from it all. Tears filled my eyes at the sound of her despondent plea. I wouldn't want to begin to insult her by even pretending to have one fathom of an ounce of an idea of what she has just gone through. But a realization hit me at that moment. Now, I don't speak for God, but I got the feeling He was answering her already.

He's right there, Ma'am. He's holding you up, even though you may not be recognizing Him at this moment. He is crying with you, as you release these fears and frustrations that have rocked, or even ruined, your world. He's there. You may not be able to acknowledge Him yet, but one day you will. He's in the sun that shone the day after the hurricane. And yes, He was somewhere in the storm. He's there in the person who handed you the water bottle when you were thirsting so. He's the Red Cross worker, the National Guard, and the one, hundreds of miles away, who dipped into his own slight savings to donate some much needed money.

Yes, Ma'am, He's right there.

Maybe today you just need to cry. You need to ask questions. You have every right to be angry. But I pray that tomorrow you will begin to be able to look around and come to recognize the face of the One you love, who loves you even more.

I don't speak for God. But in a very big way, I guess we all do.